At least four artists have killed by Iranian police and militias since nationwide demonstrations against the Islamic Republic erupted in December, according to Artists at Risk Connection (ARC).
In a statement published on January 13, the nonprofit organization—which provides emergency financial support to imperiled artists and cultural workers worldwide—condemned the reported killing of civilians by Iranian authorities, as well as the government-imposed internet and mobile blackout.
Citing credible human rights organizations and international media reports, ARC stated that among the thousands of civilians confirmed dead are sculptor Mehdi Salahshour, filmmaker Javad Ganji, fashion designer and student Rubina Aminian, and hip-hop artist Soroush Soleimani.
“Iranian government forces have carried out widespread extrajudicial killings as a means of suppressing popular protests in the last two weeks, as Iranians protest across the country,” said Julie Trébault, ARC’s executive director, in a statement. “With information being suppressed, it is difficult to assess how extensive the repression has been, but with the reports of these attacks on artists, it is clear that anyone can be targeted by the police and militia. ARC, she added, “mourns the killing of these Iranian artists, and calls on the authorities to stop its assault on and detention of protesters, and on the international community to take urgent action to stop escalating violations of human rights and humanitarian norms.”
Salahshour, a 50-year-old father, was shot and killed by Iranian government forces during protests in Mashhad on January 8. A widely exhibited artist and educator, Salahshour led a sculpture workshop at the University of Tehran and served as an honorary member of the Visual Arts Development Institute.
Filmmaker Javad Ganji was shot and killed by regime forces while attending protests in Tehran a day later, on January 9. Actor and theater director Ahmad Abbasi was also killed during the demonstrations, according to ARC, as well as Deadline. In response, the Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association (IIFMA)—a dissident cinema organization formed in the wake of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement—issued an appeal calling on the international community to intervene on behalf of Iranians.
“The brutal actions of the Islamic regime have escalated to alarming levels, with reports indicating that over 2,000 innocent people have been murdered by the regime using weapons of war, within just three days of an unprecedented internet shutdown,” said IIFMA in a statement.
Protests escalated across Iran late last month in response to the crashing value of local currency, marking a new economic low for the heavily sanctioned country. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has publicly dismissed demonstrators as “vandals” and “saboteurs,” while urging authorities to suppress dissent by any means. The Iranian regime has blocked communication by disabling internet and cellular access, effectively severing contact with the outside world.
IIFMA also shared a joint statement from Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, who renewed calls for the international community “to immediately find ways to facilitate access to vital information in Iran by enabling communication platforms, and monitor what is happening in Iran,” adding that “history bears witness that silence today will have regretful consequences in the future.”
